Making Ra's Angry
by mjf2468
Summary: Ra's al Ghul comes to Starling himself to deal with the upstart Oliver Queen threatening to unravel his League of Assassins with his insolent behavior. A re-imagining of episode 3 x 9. Canon up to episode 3 x 4, "The Magician". AU after. An attempt to capture an even more sinister and dangerous Ra's al Ghul.
1. Chapter 1: Meeting a Dangerous Man

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

Summary: Ra's al Ghul comes to Starling himself to deal with the upstart Oliver Queen threatening to unravel his League of Assassins with his insolent behavior. A re-imagining of episode 3 x 9.

 **AN: Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for returning to yet another reimaging of the Ra's al Ghul story. In this one I want to explore an even more deadlier, scarier version yet. For some reason, I want to capture the Ra's I first saw in Batman: The Animated Series, I suppose. We shall see if I succeed with doing so by changing some of the details of the episode 3 x 9, if not most of them. And beyond. Thanks for checking it out and hope you will let me know what you think.**

 **And for those of you waiting anxiously for the next chapter of "Laurel Finds Out"….it is finally almost done. I do apologize. The past month has been very crappy for me, real life wise. I needed to post a new story to make me feel better. I hope you enjoy it!**

It had been a busy night for the Arrow. Oliver had gone out by himself, and captured the four men responsible for the latest unsolved bank heist. He left them tied up to a fence, called the police to notify them of the pick-up, and walked down the alley, heading for his parked bike. Allowing himself a rare instance of pride in a job well-done, Oliver walked with a jaunty air and enjoyed the quiet night around him.

A small noise behind him catching his attention, Oliver turned, ducking just in time to avoid an arrow aimed at his head. Firing arrows as he headed for some garbage bins for cover, he made it without injury. However, he wasn't aware of several other men swooping down behind him from a nearby building until it was too late. Oliver suddenly found himself suspended between two posts when cords caught his wrists and pulled his body up into the air. As he hung suspended, a man in a heavy black coat, with a veil covering his entire face, walked towards him. Oliver was taken by surprise and was knocked unconscious from the punch by the mysterious man before he could react with a self-protective kick.

Oliver was only out for a short while, he believed. However, his captors must have quickly transported him to a different location within that time. Oliver woke up as he was being dragged down a candlelit hallway, towards a group of men all dressed like his assailant in dark jackets and veils covering their faces. He only struggled enough to find out he couldn't escape the grip the two men had on him. His head was still groggy enough to be a hindrance in any kind of defense anyway, so he allowed himself to be led, hoping to eventually gain the element of surprise and turn the attack on them, making his escape.

Before he was aware of it, Oliver was thrown to the ground. Landing on his hands and knees, with an effort not to continue to fall forward on his face, Oliver looked up to see a man looming over him.

The man was about 5'11'', black hair combed to the side. Dressed in heavily embroidered robes, his face, unlike his soldiers, was unveiled so Oliver could see dark black eyes burrowing into his, watching his every move. It almost felt as though he could also read Oliver's mind. Or soul. Oliver didn't recall ever having seen the man, who appeared to be about fifty years old in age.

Oliver found himself standing, being pulled to his feet by the same two men who had dragged him into the room. "Make up your mind, why don't cha?" Oliver muttered. They continued to hold onto his arms. Not wanting to give the man in front of him the satisfaction in asking questions first, Oliver stared into the man's gaze, waiting for him to speak.

"Oliver Queen."

Oliver couldn't recognize the accent which colored the man's words. It seemed to be a mixture of several nationalities, a unique blend of European and Arabic perhaps. Nothing he was familiar with. Oliver made no movement, only continued to stand there, silent, waiting for the other man to give him some clue as to what this was all about.

"What? No questions as to who I am, or why you are here?" The man asked, maintaining a neutral expression on his face, betraying nothing.

"I imagine you'll tell me when you want to. Me asking questions probably wouldn't get me a quicker answer."

A slap across the mouth was the answer he received for his comment. "Answer the Master appropriately," the huge man to the leader's right commanded him. Oliver considered him while biting back a quick retort. The dark-skinned presumed bodyguard would make Diggle seem like he was average height. Muscles seemed to bulge out everywhere as he stared into Oliver's eyes, challenging him to respond again in an offensive manner.

"Abu, do not be so hasty with Mr. Queen. He has only just made our acquaintance, after all. He doesn't even know who I am." The man smiled a half-smile. "Mr. Queen, I am Ra's al Ghul. I am the leader of the League of Assassins."

"Am I supposed to know you from somewhere?" Sensing movement from Abu, Oliver braced himself for another slap. However, Oliver observed Abu lowering his hand upon a shake of the head from Ra's. It didn't take much for Oliver to pretend ignorance at the mention of his name. Even with the two visits from Nyssa, Oliver hadn't heard much about this man named Ra's al Ghul. Unfortunately.

"It appears neither your mother nor my daughter, Nyssa, has told you about me."

His stomach reacting violently to the man's statement, Oliver swallowed. "My mother? Why would she…"

Waving a hand in front of his face, the man called Ra's brushed Oliver's concerns away. "That is a topic for another time. My daughter Nyssa, you must remember her. After all, you and Nyssa have someone in common. Ta'er Sa'fir, or as she was called in your world, Sara Lance."

"Yes, Nyssa helped us out a few months ago. She helped me defeat an old enemy. However, we didn't have time to talk about her background or about her father."

"Too bad. You could have avoided a lot of trouble if you would only have left Al Sa-her to us."

"Who?" Oliver couldn't think of anyone by that name. At all.

"Oh. Malcolm Merlyn, as you know him."

Malcolm was involved in this? Whatever 'this' was? Oliver wouldn't have guessed Merlyn making an enemy of Nyssa's father. He had only thought Nyssa bore a grudge because of Sara's death. Nyssa had not gone into any other details but those concerning Sara on her latest visit. "I really do not understand," was all Oliver could think to answer.

"You do not? I refer to the incident several weeks ago when my daughter assisted you in cornering Al Sa-her. You, however, let him go instead of killing him or allowing my daughter to bring him to me."

From the way the man was phrasing his words, Oliver got the sense he should watch how he treaded the shaky ground under him. Oliver figured he must have gotten his head knocked hard, for he was having difficulty predicting what this was all about. "As I told Nyssa, I wasn't convinced of Merlyn's guilt regarding the killing of Sara. It's why I prevented her from taking him."

"Still, you should not have interfered with the ways of the League. I wanted him for reasons apart from Ta'er Sa'fir."

"I didn't realize this was…this was some kind of vendetta, apart from Sara. I simply understood it as Nyssa being heartbroken by Sara's death and her wanting revenge. I simply helped save an innocent man from a death which wasn't justified."

Oliver watched as the man turn and pace a few times back and forth behind his men. He slowly turned and fixed upon Oliver a most piercing stare. Oliver had never seen eyes filled with such coldness. Not even Slade's. A shiver ran down his back.

"In many countries ignorance of the law does not excuse punishment for the wrong-doer."

Anger flared up within Oliver and without thinking he replied, "Only in those countries which do not have fair and just laws."

Ubu again reached out and punched Oliver in the face. He would've tumbled over if the two guards hadn't held him upright. Oliver shook their hands off of him and straightened himself under Ra's' gaze. Biting back a retort, Oliver waited for Ra's to answer him, his chin jutting out defiantly, glaring into his captor's eyes.

"That may be so, but I have declared the ground upon which we stand to be under League jurisdiction. As such, I can determine any type of ruling as I see fit."

Oliver considered the man in front of him. His knowledge of Ra's al Ghul, the League of Assassins, and Nanda Parbat to be woefully slim, at best. However, his first impressions of the man in front of him was that he was absolutely insane. Not just an unfair dictator, but possibly even a sociopath. Oliver had failed to place any trackers on himself before he left the Lair tonight. As far as his team was concerned, Oliver had been on his way home after dropping off those criminals. A small trickle of fear wormed its way into Oliver's mind. If he wasn't careful, it might all end tonight for him in this dungeon of a place with the medieval atmosphere. And without fully understanding why.

Wetting his dry lips, Oliver attempted to speak with a strong voice and a sincerity he only partially felt. "I am truly sorry for overstepping any lines, Mr. al Ghul. I…I didn't mean to. As you say, I don't know anything about you. I never meant any harm, nor did I mean to overstep your authority."

"I appreciate your apology, Mr. Queen. It appeared heart-felt. However, it does not excuse you from your wrongdoing."

 _Of course not._ "What _would_ make all of this right, in your eyes, Mr. al Ghul?" Oliver asked, making a great effort to prevent any sarcasm from slipping into his words and the eye roll which desperately wanted to happen.

"Well, I am glad you asked, Mr. Queen. You see, your behavior can be viewed as the ultimate insouciance. Disregard for my authority. And as such, it must be punished to avoid encouraging any such behavior from anyone else."

"How would anyone in your country hear about incidents happening here in Starling? Or in the United States in general?"

"Oh, you would be surprised, Mr. Queen. As it stands, there have already been several small uprisings in light of your…misbehavior. Luckily, my men were able to control it. But, my only choice is to make a statement. Thus, my need to punish you for your insouciance."

Oliver's throat constricted as the meaning of the man's words drummed its way into his stunned brain. The lunatic in front of him was talking about _punishing_ him? As if this was the medieval ages, not the twenty-first century. The thought that his actions, seemingly innocuous in his eyes, having an impact on people half the world away was simply ludicrous to him. However, it remained he needed to find a way out of this mess. He simply had no idea how.

Becoming aware he hadn't answered Ra's, Oliver simply decided to wait for a response. He didn't wait long. Ra's allowed a small smile to break the sternness of his features. "You remain silent, Mr. Queen. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. Provided you survive your punishment."

"If I may speak, what will be my punishment? And then what will happen?"

Oliver watched as one of the man's eyebrows rose, as if exhibiting a quirky sense of humor Oliver was confident wasn't present. Despite the fear naturally rising within him, Oliver reminded himself that he had survived many types of torture in his life. "Ah, you assume you will be alive after the punishment, then?"

Oliver inhaled quickly as panic stole his breath with Ra's' question, unable to control his instinctive reaction. However he remained quiet, willing himself to wait for Ra's' next statement.

"I will have to consider long and hard on that. For I have done research on you, Oliver Queen. Once you hit my awareness, I found out everything I can on you." As Oliver attempted not to react to such a declaration, Ra's chuckled quietly. "You wonder what I have found? I found out quite a lot on you, Mr. Queen. You are definitely more than you try to appear to your city."

Even though Ra's had attempted to make it sound dangerous and mysterious, his knowing about Oliver's role as the Arrow really wasn't surprising. Nyssa had found out as such when she helped fight Slade. However, there were many things, and people, which Oliver wouldn't have liked Ra's to know about. He wondered if there was anything Ra's _hadn't_ discovered about himself.

"For a man who was simply a spoiled playboy seven short years ago, you certainly have changed. Bratva, ARGUS, the Arrow. You have brought in a varied team of individuals to help you. Mr. Diggle, Ms. Smoak, Mr. Harper. You saved your city from being destroyed twice. There is a lot more to you than it appears, Mr. Queen."

Deciding on a different tactic, Oliver said, "Since you know so much about me, you are aware I'm very well-known. Are you sure you want to risk exposure, and arrest, for kidnapping and assaulting me?"

Ra's' eyebrow rose. "Touché, Mr. Queen. There could be serious consequences from your government for administering my justice." He rubbed his chin with his right hand. A smile then appeared on his face. With a shrug of his shoulders, he shook his head. "Nah, I think I will be just fine." Turning to several soldiers who had entered the room. "Is the fire torture ready?"

"Yes, Liege, it is. Just as you ordered."

"Bring Mr. Queen to the room and begin the torture."

 **AN: So, what did you think? Like I said, I wanted to write it from the viewpoint of adding more 'scary' to Ra's. Did I succeed? Are you concerned for Oliver's welfare? His survival? Hope you will let me know what you thought and tune in for the next chapter when I post it. Thank you loads!**


	2. Chapter 2: Some Torture, Mr Queen?

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thank you for returning to my story. I hope you liked the first chapter. Let's see what Ra's has planned for Oliver. Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows.**

Previously:

 _Deciding on a different tactic, Oliver said, "Since you know so much about me, you are aware I am very well-known. Are you sure you want to risk arrest and exposure for kidnapping and assaulting me?"_

 _Ra's' eyebrow rose. "Touché, Mr. Queen. There could be serious consequences for administering my justice." He rubbed his chin with his right hand. A smile then appeared on his face. With a shrug of his shoulders, he shook his head. "Nah, I think I will be just fine." Turning to several soldiers who had just entered the room. "Is the fire torture ready?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Liege, it is. Just as you ordered."_

 _"_ _Bring Mr. Queen to the room and begin the torture."_

Oliver was dragged by his two guards down several hallways to a room which had a high ceiling and no windows. He noted with interest at the one end there stood two posts four feet apart. A fire pit was on wheels, a short distance away from one of the posts.

The guards instructed Oliver to remove his shirt, shoes and socks. Manacles were then placed around his wrists, and the chains were pulled tight, bringing him eight feet into the air. He was hanging by his arms, with the weight of his body already causing discomfort to his shoulders.

The pit was rolled under him, and a roaring fire was soon burning. Despite all the torture Oliver had experienced in his five years away, he had yet to experience a torture method such as this. He began to implement the meditation techniques he had learned to help keep the pain under control. Time passed slowly even though Oliver was able to achieve a semi-conscious, meditative state. Eventually, however, he lost consciousness.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

They kept him up there above the fire for hours. He couldn't tell when he lost consciousness, but that was when the dreams began. Of the mysterious Ra's going after all those he held dear, attacking and killing Dig, Sara, Thea, Roy. Even Felicity and Laurel. Torturing them in such devious ways, then murdering them in front of his horrified eyes. The rational part of his brain which remained present tried telling him they were only dreams, not real, but that voice was gradually drowned out by the pain.

He woke up to find himself lying on the cold stone floor, bound to the floor by chains a foot long, attached to manacles on his wrists. His throat parched, his tongue seemingly stuck to the top of his mouth, he looked around his cell from his lying position. Stone walls surrounded him on three sides with iron bars in front of him. No windows. He allowed his eyes to wander past the bars, but only saw a long hallway in semi-darkness. A lone light shone above his cell outside the door. Listening to what he could hear, Oliver was only met with silence. He wondered if there were cells next to his, but from his place on the floor he couldn't tell. Feeling too weak to care, he collapsed onto his back on the cold floor, allowing the coolness to soothe his fiery skin.

As his eyes drifted closed, Oliver heard boots approaching him. Unable to force his eyes open, he heard the cell door open and the boots get closer. Suddenly, despite his weakness and nausea, Oliver sat straight up because of ice-cold water being poured over him.

Sputtering, he wiped the water out of his eyes, as he looked up into the face of Ra's. Trying to get his breathing, and the nausea, under control, Oliver waited for the man to speak as he drilled his anger into the man via his cold stare.

"Oh, Mr. Queen, you do not look happy."

"It is against American law to falsely imprison and torture someone."

"Yes, I believe you did try to tell me that earlier. As I told you, I don't care. Your police may attempt to arrest me, but only if they can find me."

"Does that mean you're planning on killing me?"

"No, it simply means you will not be able to provide proof of such crimes, and you will not be able to bring them here. No one will be able to find this place, for when we leave, we will not leave any evidence behind."

"All this because I unwittingly interfered with your little feud with Malcolm?"

Oliver watched as anger flared in Ra's' eyes. _Perhaps I expressed myself recklessly_ , Oliver thought. However, he maintained his cold stare at Ra's and watched as his captor struggled not to vent his anger.

"Mr. Queen, I am surprised you have not yet learned it is unwise to anger me unnecessarily. If you continue to do so, you may find yourself in a situation you will not like."

Before he could stop himself, Oliver replied, "As if your previous torture wasn't enough?"

Ra's shook his head. "Now, Mr. Queen. I warn you and yet you respond to the warning with more insubordinance?"

"I didn't mean it that time. I simply am looking for clarification." Oliver met Ra's eyes with as much innocence in his eyes as he could possibly display, hoping it was enough.

"I must say, though, for one having undergone the Fire Torture, you are remarkably alert and conversant. Which should not surprise me, considering your long history of being tortured."

"I unfortunately developed a tolerance in the years I was away from Starling."

Ra's stroked his chin in thought. "It leaves me in a quandary. Whether to look upon your tolerance as a challenge." His eyes bored into Oliver's, who fought his instinct to look away. "Should I test your limits, see if I can find them?" A short, cruel laugh escaped him. "I could find that very amusing indeed."

Oliver pressed his lips so tightly together he felt discomfort in his eardrums. However, the effort was worth it, preventing any reckless remark from passing his lips as he waited for Ra's to continue.

Addressing Oliver's silence with a cocked eyebrow, Ra's smirked. "You do amuse me greatly, Mr. Queen. However, I will leave you to recover from your ordeal while I consider what to do with you."

Oliver watched as the men accompanying Ra's broke formation to allow him to walk out of the cell. They turned smartly and followed their leader in silence. Oliver let out a heavy sigh as they left and laid back down on the floor. He wondered what were the odds of his team finding him before Ra's attempted any more tortures for his own "amusement", or for him to escape on his own. Despite his efforts to think about possible escape plans, Oliver fell asleep despite the pain from the torture.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

While back at the lair with Team Arrow the night before, the team indeed had become quite anxious about his status. After an hour since his last communication without reappearing at the Lair, Diggle became concerned. Felicity became even more concerned when she couldn't reach him on the comms.

"Dig, _where_ is Oliver? I mean, he would've let us know if he wasn't returning her for whatever reason. _And_ he would've let us know he was going off comms."

Grabbing his sidearm, Digg checked for ammo and slipped the safety back on. Sticking it in his slacks, he grabbed his coat. "I'm going out to look for him. I'll first check the area where he supposedly left the robbers. You call Lance and make sure his officers found the robbers and brought them to the jail."

Felicity stated she would as Diggle raced up the stairs. As he got into his SUV, Digg wondered what could have happened to his teammate.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

First Felicity called Lance, to see whether he could shed any light on the mysterious situation. He denied any difficulty in collecting the bandits from the spot where the Arrow had left them. He hadn't observed anything unusual in the area, and the cops were able to bundle the crooks into the police van without any interference. The Arrow was nowhere to be seen by that time. Lance assumed he had left the area, not wanting to wait around for them.

After disconnecting the call, Felicity leaned back in her chair. Suddenly she bolted upright, and with fingers flying, she checked the surveillance of the area as seen by a bank's security cameras located across the street. Even though it appeared someone had tried to bury it, Felicity was even more skilled at uncovering it. She watched as Oliver fought seven ninja-type individuals who surrounded him, then squeaked in alarm when Oliver was bound and knocked out. _So that's what has happened to Oliver. Now to find out who kidnapped him. Not to mention where they took him. And why._

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Dig spent half the night looking for Oliver. He couldn't believe there was no sign of his friend, nothing left as in clues at the place where Oliver had nabbed the crooks. The snitches on the street had nothing of value to add either. As he was about to give up in frustration, his cell phone began ringing, disturbing his thoughts.

He barely got his phone to his ear before Felicity began babbling about surveillance tapes and black-hooded SOB's. He had to yell her name three times before she stopped.

"OMG, Dig, I am so sorry. Let me begin again." Dig waited for Felicity to take a slow, deep breath in, then to slowly exhale. "Okay. Oliver was attacked after leaving the crooks tied to the fence. By seven men in black hoods. First, they strung him up, knocked him out, then dragged him to a van."

"Have you traced the van yet?"

"Have you just met me?" Felicity snapped back in frustration. Digg heard her fingers flying across the keyboard. "I'm sorry, Digg. I've been in the process of doing that. Someone has been trying to hide this footage, but I'm just that much better."

"I've always said we're lucky you never wanted to be a criminal, Felicity. We'd be in a lot more trouble."

"Aw, shucks, Digg, thanks."

"I'll head to the Lair. If you find something before I get there, let me know. Otherwise…."

"Otherwise you don't want to stay out there like a misplaced chicken."

"What?"

Felicity rolled her eyes. "I couldn't come up with something better. I'm concentrating on trying to track that dang van."

"Keep at it. I should be there soon."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Diggle arrived at the lair only to hear Felicity mumbling and cursing under her breath. "You haven't found anything?"

Diggle jumped as Felicity flung the pen in her hand across the lair. He didn't know if she had aimed for anything in particular. The pen landed harmlessly in the middle of the work-out area. "No, not a thing. I couldn't follow where they took him. I lost the van transporting them to who-knows-where before they got very far from the place he left the crooks."

Suddenly a voice not usually heard in the Lair interrupted the teammates.

"The League of Assassins kidnapped Oliver."

 **AN: Oh no, who has now entered the Lair? Kinda short chapter, but it did seem like a nice place to end the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you liked about it. Always appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3: The (Un)welcome Guest

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thanks again tuning in to see who the mysterious visitor is and why they are there. Thank you again for all the reviews and follows/favs. Always, always appreciated!**

Previously:

 _Diggle arrived at the lair only to hear Felicity mumbling and cursing under her breath. "You haven't found anything?"_

 _Diggle jumped as Felicity flung the pen in her hand across the lair. He didn't know if she had aimed for anything in particular. The pen landed harmlessly in the middle of the work-out area. "No, not a thing. I couldn't follow where they took him. I lost the van transporting them to who-knows-where before they got very far from the place he left the crooks."_

 _Suddenly a voice not usually heard in the Lair interrupted the teammates_

Felicity shrieked and Diggle turned, gun drawn, only to meet Malcolm Merlyn walking calmly out of the shadow of the lair. Their visitor continued to walk toward them, seemingly not surprised nor offended by their reactions.

"We really need to improve our security," Felicity mumbled as she leaned towards Dig.

"Well, I guess I should apologize, Ms. Smoak, but I do believe the information I have to share will make up for any discomfort you may experience with my appearance."

"I'm not sure about that." At Dig's slight intake of surprise, Felicity said, "No, I will _not_ apologize for my statement." Glaring at Malcolm, she demanded, "What _do_ you know? And why should we believe you?"

Malcolm casually strode over to the desk and sat down in the remaining chair next to the other two. "Well, as you know, I don't lack for my share of enemies."

"Color me shocked," Felicity mumbled, meeting Dig's eyes without remorse.

Malcolm raised an eye brow at Dig, who solemnly remained silent. Malcolm shrugged. "You see, there's a powerful group which has remained hidden all these years. Neither of you were around years ago after my wife died, but I asked them to help me deal with my grief. With my actions regarding the Undertaking, I…I went back on my word to them. They…um…they placed a death threat upon me because of that."

"Can't imagine why."

Malcolm shot Felicity an angry look. "I'd appreciate it greatly, Ms. Smoak, if you will stop making such comments. Such interruptions will only lengthen my stay, something I'm sure you don't want."

Felicity had the grace to look ashamed, with a touch of pink coloring her face. She looked down and nodded, biting her lip.

"Anyway, Merlyn, thanks for bringing us up to date, but we know about the League of Assassins. What does this have to do with Oliver?" Diggle asked.

"Because Oliver prevented Nyssa from taking me back with her to Nanda Parbat to be punished for my so-called sins, Ra's has returned personally to inflict revenge upon Oliver because what he sees is insubordination for interfering in League matters."

"What?" Felicity asked. "That seems totally stupid. It doesn't make sense, for a legendary leader of a supposedly mythical group to travel thousands of miles to bicker about Oliver not believing in your guilt."

"If I were you, I'd worry if we'll be able to find Oliver alive at all, whether there'll be anything left to rescue. And not the logic of one seeking to punish Oliver for his supposed sins."

Felicity gasped, and Diggle appeared shocked by Malcolm's pointed reply as well. He asked in a strained voice, "What do you mean? That they would…they'd torture him? But why? He was only protecting someone he believed was innocent, something that should be admired. He never meant to offend anyone."

"They are an ancient civilization. One in whose existence you yourself didn't believe, did you, John? You're such a practical man, and yet you're being introduced to things beyond this world. People whose ideals are different from yours, whose beliefs go back centuries."

"How does that matter?"

"It matters because that is the belief which exists within the League, why Oliver is facing such a danger. Why we must find him as soon as possible. Before it means his death."

Diggle, being a practical man, asked, "Do we have any hope in rescuing Oliver, if this guy Ra's is here with a small army? Or if Ra's is such a great and powerful ruler, like you say?"

Malcolm nodded his admiration for such an appropriate question. "You're correct, John. Ra's did arrive with a small army. One which I believe, however, we can extract Oliver from, with a well-executed plan Because the soldiers who accompanied Ra's are not his usual bodyguards."

"What about Nyssa? Could we contact her, see if she would help us?" Felicity asked.

Malcolm turned and fixed upon Felicity a long, solemn look from under dark eyebrows. Felicity unconsciously sat straighter in her chair, as if she wanted to demonstrate courage. Her gaze never wavered from Malcolm's as she waited for his reply.

"Why would you think she'd help us, Ms. Smoak, against her own father?"

Felicity shrugged. "Perhaps because Oliver is a friend of her…girlfriend. Perhaps because she helped us out before and knows us. Perhaps…."

"Perhaps not."

"Okay then. It was only a suggestion." Felicity turned back to her keyboard. "I wanted to set up scans looking for this Ra's, but I can't find any picture of him whatsoever."

"And you wouldn't. He's been able to stay hidden from all authorities and news agencies for centuries." Catching the others' reactions, Malcolm hurried to say, "I'll explain another time for my use of the word 'centuries'.

"I assume you have several suggestions for us, then," Diggle said, trying to restrain his impatience.

"I have something better. I know where Ra's is holding Oliver."

"Why didn't you lead with that, then?" Felicity asked, not bothering to hide her impatience.

"Because you're so pretty when you're angry," Malcolm said, smirking at her.

As Felicity opened her mouth to reply, Diggle placed a warning hand upon her shoulder. She shook her head at Malcolm's attempt to get a reaction from her.

"Ms. Smoak, may I borrow your computer to show you and Mr. Diggle the plans of the building where Oliver is being held?"

Felicity held her hand out to Malcolm, silently asking for him to hand her the flash drive. Malcolm shrugged, handing it to her. She quickly placed it into her computer, ran security scans on it, and pulled up the plans. Diggle pulled up a chair, with Malcolm standing behind them to point out areas of interest as they discuss the plans for the rescue.

Thus a plan began to develop, and a reluctant alliance among former adversaries forged.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Previously:

 _Ra's stroked his chin in thought. "It leaves me in a quandary. Whether to look upon your tolerance as a challenge." His eyes bored into Oliver's, who fought his instinct to look away. "Should I test your limits, see if I can find them?" A short, cruel laugh escaped him. "I could find that very amusing indeed."_

 _Addressing Oliver's silence with a cocked eyebrow, Ra's smirked. "You do amuse me greatly, Mr. Queen. However, I will leave you to recover from your ordeal while I consider what to do with you."_

 _Oliver watched as the men accompanying Ra's broke formation to allow him to walk out of the cell. They turned smartly and followed their leader in silence. Oliver let out a heavy sigh as they left and laid back down on the floor. He wondered what were the odds of his team finding him before Ra's attempted any more tortures for his own "amusement", or for him to escape on his own. Despite his efforts to think about possible escape plans, Oliver fell asleep despite the pain from the torture._

After an undetermined time of restless sleep, Oliver was wakened again by a bucket of cold water thrown upon him. He sat straight up, sputtering, wiping the water out of his eyes. Turning, he scowled at the door of his cell as Ra's entered. Oliver observed with a curled lip a soldier stepping out of the way with an empty bucket in his hand.

Oliver glared at Ra's, who met the younger man's glare with a sardonic grin on his face. "How was your little nap, Mr. Queen?"

"Might you consider waking me up the old-fashioned way of shaking me awake instead of a cold shower? I'd really appreciate it."

Ra's nodded to the soldier on the other side of Oliver. The soldier leaned over and punched Oliver several times in the stomach. Oliver attempted to remain stoic, but his abdominal muscles were simply too sore. He grunted from the pain as he felt the fist hit his tender flesh.

"I shall consider the suggestion, Oliver. But remember, you need to ask permission before you ask a question."

Oliver scanned his memory for knowledge of such a request being made before this, but found none. He bit his tongue, however, to prevent remarking on it. He simply nodded his answer, unsure whether he was to speak out loud.

"You should have answered out loud, but I will let the indiscretion pass this once."

Oliver inhaled, ready to let out a heavy sigh, but instead quickly exhaled softly, remembering in time to hide any sign of rebellion. A small smile appeared on Ra's' face, letting Oliver know he'd observed Oliver's reaction to his little game. Oliver didn't allow his gaze to waver; instead, he continued to hold Ra's' gaze, remaining silent, waiting for Ra's to speak.

"You have no other remarks you wish to make, Mr. Queen? Perhaps even you can learn discretion and obedience, as uncouth as you are?"

Oliver held himself still, not betraying his reaction to Ra's' attempt at an insult. _If he thinks I'd be insulted by being called uncouth, he doesn't know my past as a playboy._

"I am impressed. Perhaps you may prove to be useful to me after all."

Oliver didn't like the sound of that, but he bit back the remark he wanted to make. _This might be just another one of his games, after all._

"You are now being vigilant with remaining silent, are you not? You may ask your question, now, if you like."

Oliver quickly debated which question to ask. "If I may, have you decided what your plans are regarding me?"

A slow smile crossed Ra's' face. He strode slowly back and forth along the cell several times before turning back to Oliver.

"Yes, I have decided on what I am going to do with you."

Oliver bit his tongue this time to avoid making a hasty remark as he waited for the man to continue. He dared not breathe so as to draw any untoward attention to his nerves.

"I have decided you are to fight us to the death."

 **AN: Oh, oh. It doesn't look good for Oliver by Ra's' use of the plural. Will Oliver survive this? I already have the chapter mapped out, so it shouldn't take as long to get out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you soon.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Battle to the Death

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this. Some dialogue borrowed from the Arro episode "The Climb" written by Jake Coburn & Keto Shimizu.

 **AN: Thank you for returning to this little story. I hope you also enjoy this chapter.**

Previously:

 _Oliver quickly debated which question to ask. "If I may, have you decided what your plans are regarding me?"_

 _A slow smile crossed Ra's' face. He strode slowly back and forth along the cell several times before turning back to Oliver._

 _"_ _Yes, I have decided on what I am going to do with you."_

 _Oliver bit his tongue this time to avoid making a hasty remark as he waited for the man to continue. He dared not breathe so as to draw any untoward attention to his nerves._

 _"_ _I have decided you are to fight us to the death."_

Oliver could only stare at the man in front of him. He wasn't quite sure he had heard Ra's correctly. "Sir, did you say 'us'?"

"I only have twenty men with me. With a man of your great reputation, surely you can take all of us on?" Ra's shrugged his shoulders.

 _Does he mean all at once or one at a time?_

Oliver was able not to voice this thought, but instead waited for Ra's to continue. He wasn't disappointed. "You look slightly worried, Mr. Queen. Of course, I did not mean all at once. If you succeed at beating all my men, only then will you fight me."

 _That only makes me a little less worried._

Ra's nodded at two of his guards, who walked over to Oliver and hoisted him onto his feet. One proceeded to unlock Oliver's manacles from the chain. Oliver locked eyes with Ra's once again.

"If you will follow me, we will proceed into the courtyard." Ra's then led the men out of Oliver's cell, except for the two guards at Oliver's sides. One of them pushed Oliver to follow the group. Catching himself from falling, Oliver shook off the guards' hands and followed the other men.

They proceeded up a flight of stone steps and through an iron door. Oliver was surprised to find they were immediately outside, into a courtyard of sorts. Nothing appeared familiar to him. He couldn't place either the surroundings or the building itself. Oliver didn't think they had left Starling, but was discomfited by the fact he heard no sounds orienting him as to where in Starling they currently were. The size of the mansion behind them as well as the courtyard/backyard meant they must be at someone's estate. Besides the Merlyns and the Queens, the only other millionaire in Starling was the recluse Sterling Michelson. Surely they weren't at old man Michelson's estate? Michelson had been rumored to be out of the country for several months, but he was so reclusive, no one could be certain. Oliver doubted not even Thea, Oliver's main link to all gossip, would know. Neither Oliver nor his sister had ever seen the Michelson estate, and no media had ever published a recent picture of it.

One of the men stopped Oliver and removed the manacles from his wrists. The man next instructed Oliver to remove his shirt, which he took from Oliver. Oliver watched as the two guards removed their own shirts as well and took their places within the circle of men surrounding him, all shirtless. He quickly counted them and realized that apparently Ra's was going to have him fight his men in groups, beginning with seven of them. Seemingly without a signal from Ra's, three men rushed at Oliver. Oliver allowed the nearest man to get near him before ducking quickly and throwing the man over his back. Turning behind him, Oliver tackled the second man, then after rising quickly, he knocked the third man to the ground with a roundhouse kick.

Three other men rushed at him, and Oliver punched one unconscious and knocked the other two's heads together, bringing the total of unconscious fighters to five. The seventh man came at Oliver with escrima sticks, which Oliver took from him after several punches. He then turned to the man who had flown over his back and fought him for a minute before knocking him out.

Before he could take a breath, Oliver had seven more men rushing at him. He began battling with punches, kicks and using the escrima sticks at random, knocking out three of the men with the first round, then catching two others unawares with roundhouse kicks.

As he took out one or two men, two others joined in until Oliver was again fighting six men, three of them brought knives into the fighting. Oliver knocked a knife out of one man's hand. Turning around, he seriously injured three of the others, and knocked several more out with a few well-placed kicks and punches.

As he took down the remaining soldier, clapping made its way through Oliver's hazy brain. Dripping blood from several cuts on his arms and upper legs, as well as a bloody nose, Oliver turned in the direction of the clapping. Through blood and sweat he watched as Ra's al Ghul approached, nodding his head, his lips in a tightly drawn line as he slowly clapped his hands. As he removed his own shirt, Ra's spoke.

"Well done, Mr. Queen, well done. Nothing less than I had expected, given your reputation." Through more instinct than sight, Oliver caught the sword Ra's threw at him. "But if you think I will be easy on you, you would be incorrect, Mr. Queen," Ra's exclaimed as he brought a sword down on Oliver's head.

Luckily, Oliver leaped out of the way, meeting Ra's' sword before it could remove his head. Metal upon metal flashed and no other sound could be heard but the swords clanging as the men battled one another.

Oliver was more fatigued than he'd ever been, having fought twenty other men, but this was a fight to the death. He simply couldn't lose. Pulling out all his reserves, he tried to match strike with strike, feigning and striking out, trying to gain an advantage. After multiple attempts, and receiving several deeper cuts on his torso, he decided he'd be happy with simply maintaining a defense. Even with Oliver having a sword in one hand, a knife in the other, Ra's gained the upper hand and never gave it up.

Oliver's vision becoming cloudier, with both fatigue and a mixture of blood and sweat getting in his eyes, Oliver struggled to gain an advantage, when suddenly his legs were swept from under him. Before he could block it, he suddenly felt a sword enter between his ribs on his right side, angling towards his heart. Above him, he heard Ra's say, "You should take pride. You survived longer than most. Don't be afraid, my son. Death comes for us all. We can only evade it so long. Consider this an honorable exit."

Oliver attempted to focus on his opponent, to gather his strength to rise again even though he knew it was hopeless. Visions of first his parents, then Thea, passed in front of his mind's eye, ending with thoughts of Felicity. Regret flooded his body as he heard Ra's continue to speak. "Forgive and have mercy upon him... Excuse him and pardon him... Make honorable his reception... Protect him from the punishment of the grave... And the torment of fire."

As the remaining bit of consciousness left him, Oliver believed he was dying. He was unaware of Ra's throwing his sword into the ground beside him and leaving him lying in a pool of his own blood, in the middle of a field, calling his men to follow him. Oliver was also unaware of the bustle within the building as the group from Nanda Parbat packed up in preparation to leave Starling City. Leaving its hero bleeding out in the backyard of one of their most reclusive citizens.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Previously:

 _"_ _Ms. Smoak, may I borrow your computer to show you and Mr. Diggle the plans of the building where Oliver is being held?"_

 _Felicity held her hand out to Malcolm, silently asking for him to hand her the flash drive. Malcolm shrugged, handing it to her. She quickly placed it into her computer, ran security scans on it, and pulled up the plans. Diggle pulled up a chair, with Malcolm standing behind them to point out areas of interest as they discuss the plans for the rescue._

 _Thus a plan began to develop, and a reluctant alliance among former adversaries forged._

The van containing Team Arrow, driven by Roy, rushed to the site where Malcolm directed them. Felicity attempted to sit still while feeling Merlyn's scrutiny on her, purposely avoiding the man's gaze even though he was sitting across from her in the back of the van. She bristled as Merlyn broke the silence by asking yet again, "Why are we bringing her along? She's useless in a fight."

"Because I don't trust you alone with my boys. And what I mean by my boys are Diggle and Roy, and yes, I am very aware they are both older than me, but I don't care. Someone needs to watch their back with you along, and so I'm riding along. Because I don't trust you, Merlyn. I only trust you as far as I can throw you, and considering you're way bigger than me, that isn't very far." Felicity shook her head to stop her babbling.

Merlyn only glared at her, while Diggle smiled and Roy coughed to cover up a laugh.

Deciding to change the subject, Felicity said, "I can't imagine this crook hiding on old man Michelson's estate. How can we be sure they are here?"

"Well we're here now, so hang on, I'm busting through the gate," Roy warned right before he turned the wheel sharply and gunned the gas.

Felicity put her head in her lap, placing her hands over her head to protect it. The clanging of the iron gates against the van startled her more than she would have thought. She barely stayed in her seat as Roy stomped on the brakes suddenly, and jumped as Dig startled her when he pushed open the van's side door.

"Roy, you and Merlyn will go through the front, and Felicity and I will take the back." Glaring at him, Dig silently dared Merlyn to make another stupid remark about Felicity. Instead Merlyn simply sneered at Diggle and followed Roy around the mansion.

"Don't worry, Felicity, just keep up with me. Looks like it's deserted, and I'm not sure what that means."

Felicity rushed in an adjusted walk-run to keep up with the man's larger stride. They hurried past the hedges bordering the open area, entering the well-groomed courtyard, when Felicity saw what appeared to be a man lying on the ground some distance away. As soon as she had gathered her wits to say something, Dig said, "I see it," and took off in a run. Felicity knew she wouldn't be able to keep pace with him, but instead followed as fast as she could.

When she got to the figure on the ground, Felicity confirmed what she knew in her heart. It was Oliver, with a severe wound in his right side, blood obscuring her view as to where exactly he was wounded. Diggle was kneeling next to him, and Felicity barely took in the fact he had moved Oliver's head into position to check his airway. Her knowledge of first aid kicked in as Diggle moved his head down to put his ear above Oliver's mouth and nose, and looked at his abdomen.

Diggle looked up at Felicity. "No respirations." Diggle then checked for a pulse at the side of Oliver's neck. "No pulse." As the other two men ran up to the group, Diggle commanded, "Roy, call 911, then go wait for the ambulance at the gate. Felicity, take over respirations." Diggle then moved next to Oliver's abdomen. "Merlyn, grab something and try to stop the bleeding. And don't get in my way."

Before she began giving respirations, Felicity took off her sweater and threw it at Merlyn, who had taken his place across from Diggle at the side of Oliver's abdomen. Merlyn quickly placed her sweater over the wound and pressed down upon it while Dig administered compressions. Silence covered the team until they heard sirens in the distance approaching.

 **AN: Well, how about that? A slight variation on Oliver's death as shown in the show. But unlike the show, is he really dead? Please return when the next chapter is posted to find out. And I hope you will be kind and send me a review on what you think of this chapter. Always, always appreciated. Like many have said, we fanfiction writers don't get any payment except for the feedback from our readers. See you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Surprise Visit

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thank you so very much for all your reviews, follows, and favs! I do apologize for not getting this chapter out sooner. I have returned to school, and it has kept me busier than I had thought.**

 **Without further ado, let's see if Oliver survives his injuries.**

Previously:

 _Diggle looked up at Felicity. "No respirations." Diggle then checked for a pulse at the side of Oliver's neck. "No pulse." As the other two men ran up to the group, Diggle commanded, "Roy, call 911, then go wait for the ambulance at the gate. Felicity, take over respirations." Diggle then moved next to Oliver's abdomen. "Merlyn, grab something and try to stop the bleeding. And don't get in my way."_

 _Before she began giving respirations, Felicity took off her sweater and threw it at Merlyn, who had taken his place across from Diggle at the side of Oliver's abdomen. Merlyn quickly placed her sweater over the wound and pressed down upon it while Dig administered compressions. Silence covered the team until they heard sirens in the distance approaching._

The team barely registered the ambulance pulling up, paramedics exiting quickly and approaching them. One by one the Team Arrow members were replaced by the paramedics. As she stood up and stepped away, Felicity didn't appear to be comprehending the action, or Roy taking her into his arms into a hug. She clung to him, crying noiselessly for a moment. Then she pulled away only as far as to turn toward the group on the ground.

One of the paramedics, along with Dig, approached them. "I wanted to tell you, if he survives this, it will be because of you all."

"Have they determined what was injured?" Dig asked.

"Not yet for sure, but it appears as bad as it looks. Good news is, if his vena cava had been cut, he would've bled out by now. So that's why he has a chance; if he survives until he gets into an OR, he should have a chance."

"That's _good_ news?" Roy asked.

"Because of you four, he has even that chance. So, thank you." The paramedic looked at Dig. "Why would Oliver Queen be here, stabbed and dying, on a personal estate?"

Dig shrugged. "I don't know. He was kidnapped earlier tonight by persons unknown."

"Were the police called?"

"Why no, not yet. Even though I suspected foul play, don't the police wait forty-eight hours to investigate a missing person?"

"For a person of Mr. Queen's standing, I would think the police would make an exception."

Luckily their conversation stopped because the other paramedics had loaded Oliver into the ambulance. "I will pass the information along to the police."

"I hope so. Mr. Queen's attackers must be caught," Dig said.

The paramedic nodded and got into the front seat of the ambulance. It took off, sirens blaring, as the four watched.

Merlyn said, "Well, my work here is done, I believe."

"And your company no longer wanted," Felicity said but quickly clapped her hands over her mouth in alarm. "I'm truly sorry, Merlyn. I…I didn't mean to say it. Thank you for helping us find Oliver. And saving him. You know about my brain-mouth filter not always functional, don't you? Of course…."

"Of course I do, Miss Smoak. However, if my company is no longer wanted…"

"We still need your help, Merlyn. If Oliver lives, will this Ra's continue to stalk him? What can we do about it? Do you know where this Ra's is now?" Dig quickly asked, not wanting to lose their only source of information.

Malcolm rubbed his chin, to give the impression of considering Dig's words. "Since you asked so nicely, Mr. Diggle, I will consider helping you. However, I think you should first go to the hospital and take vigil over Oliver. I'll contact you tomorrow." Malcolm turned to smile at Felicity. "And Miss Smoak? It'll be especially nice to see you." Suddenly he disappeared behind a cloud of blue smoke.

Roy and Dig ran to the spot where Merlyn had been standing. They all looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the man, but there was no sign of him.

"I wish he'd tell us how he does that," Felicity muttered.

Roy nodded in agreement. Diggle said, "Let's hurry to the hospital and see how Oliver is."

Suddenly they remembered what had occurred, and they rushed to the van. They stopped in mid-step, taking in the damage from them crashing the gate. The front end was crushed in, and the sides were scratched up.

"Do you think it'll run?" Roy asked Diggle.

"Only one way to find out," Diggle said as he got into the front seat. Even with the damage to the front end, the engine turned over. Felicity and Roy jumped into the van and they took off.

Reaching the hospital, Diggle parked in the emergency department parking lot, and they rushed into the hospital. After inquiring about Oliver, and Diggle announcing he was Oliver's emergency contact, they were told to take a seat.

An anxious hour passed by. The men took turns getting up and pacing the halls, while Felicity attempted to distract herself with browsing the internet on her phone. She finally couldn't take it any longer and rushed to the desk before Diggle could stop her.

"We've been waiting for an hour. Surely there's word on how Mr. Queen is doing!" she shouted at the innocent worker behind the desk, who stammered at her before a nurse approached Felicity.

"Ma'am, please take a seat. The doctor will come out to talk to you when he's able."

"Don't call me ma'am; I'm not old enough! And surely we can get information on what's going on. I'm an internet expert. I could…." The rest of her words were muffled as Diggle covered her mouth with his hand.

"Felicity, why don't you sit down before you say something you'll regret." Dig then whispered, "Or something which could get you arrested."

Felicity rolled her eyes but sat down in the chair Roy held out for her, blowing out a huff of air and crossing her arms across her chest. She glared at the nurse's back as she went through the swinging doors to the treatment rooms.

Luckily a short time later, a man in a white lab coat entered the waiting room and walked over to the group. "Are you the loved ones of Oliver Queen?"

Diggle stood up, saying he was Oliver's emergency contact. The man identified himself as an emergency room physician, and if they'd follow him, he'd share some news about Oliver.

Felicity took in a breath and let it out slowly. She straightened her clothes as she stood up and followed behind Roy and Dig. Roy stopped a moment, allowing her to catch up to him, and placed his arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, Blondie. Oliver is tough."

"I hope so."

As soon as they were sitting around a table in a secluded room, the doctor began. "Mr. Queen is one lucky man. He survived the ride to the hospital, even though his heart stopped twice before entering the emergency room. He's currently in surgery."

"Any word, Doctor?" Diggle asked.

"So far, so good. It still is rather touch-and-go, though. The weapon cut through several organs, but luckily missed the major arteries. Like I said, he is very lucky to be alive. The surgery may take another two or three hours for them to repair all the damage." The doctor stopped as Felicity began to cry, loud sobs racking her shoulders. "Are you his girlfriend?"

Diggle shook his head. "She's simply a good friend. It's been tough for all of us."

"Sorry it's been so difficult for all of you." The doctor rose from his chair. "I'll tell them to update you as soon as possible. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Just don't let him die," Felicity said between sobs.

The doctor placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "We'll do our best."

The two men led Felicity into the waiting room once again. Diggle suggested Roy take her to the coffee shop but Felicity wouldn't hear of it. "I'm staying here, Dig. No buts about it," she said in her 'loud voice', which both men knew was pointless to argue with.

Roy left for the hospital coffee shop to get food and coffee for the three of them. Diggle sat down, and when Felicity sat down next to him, he patted his shoulder. She smiled at him and laid her head on his shoulder. Before he knew it, Dig heard soft snores from her. He smiled to himself.

Upon his return, Roy placed the items in front of Dig and Felicity, then handed Dig a cup of coffee.

Three hours later, a man entered the waiting room and walked over to the group. Felicity and Roy were sleeping, but Dig, noticing the man in scrubs approaching them, shook them both awake.

"I am happy to say Mr. Queen made it through the surgery. It was touch and go several times, especially when his heart stopped several times again. However, I'm guardedly optimistic about his status. If he survives the night, he should be fine."

" _If_ he survives the night? What exactly do you mean by that?" Felicity asked, attempting to keep her nerves under control. Suddenly she felt numb.

"You must understand, Miss, Mr. Queen had sustained quite an extensive injury. It's a miracle he survived long enough to get to the hospital for us to help him."

Felicity nodded as Diggle asked, "What was done exactly during the surgery?"

Felicity felt her attention drift as the doctor updated them on the organs they were able to save, the length of recuperation time Oliver was looking at, and the length of his hospital stay. With all the near-misses the man had undergone, the tragedies he's suffered, to think this may have truly been the end it was unbelievable. Especially when it seemed so pointless, it being That Man Merlyn's fault. She shook herself and attempted to catch up with what the group was now discussing.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

In spite of the odds, Oliver made much improvement in the next week. He was moved from Intensive Care to a private room within a week. If his hatred for hospitals weren't so intense, Oliver would have been concerned about such a rate of recovery would cultivate doubt in his playboy, high-society personae. Instead, he was happy to be that much closer in being discharged home.

Diggle had arranged for round-the-clock security for him, despite the assurances from hospital administration they were able to deal with any threat against one of the city's leading citizens. Utilizing the playboy sensibilities, Diggle simply fell upon the stereotypes of such a class wanting only the best to explain the need for extra security without drawing unwanted attention. His concern for Oliver's safety only increased once his move off the ICU wing. Despite Oliver's protests, Diggle arranged for two guards to be on-duty at all times.

However, such measures were only a hiccup for one such as the Devil's Head. One night, as he neared his discharge date, Oliver felt himself shake off the remnants of a dream to become more alert. He listened before he opened his eyes, wondering what had awakened him. Deciding there was no danger, he opened his eyes to see a man he had hoped never to see again standing next to his bed.

"I wondered if you were ever going to awaken, Mr. Queen."

Just as Oliver reached under his pillow to take out the gun Digg had snuck into the hospital for him, Ra's raised his hand, aiming the very same gun at Oliver's head.

 **AN: No, did I just leave it there? Sorry about that (not sorry). Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and return when I post the next chapter. I thank you for reading and hopefully reviewing. Let me know how you're enjoyed the story, or what you liked about this chapter. Always, always appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6: A new offer or threat?

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN:** **I'm glad the last chapter was enjoyed tremendously! Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy this one as well. Oliver's dilemmas increase. Whose assistance, if any, should he accept?**

Previously:

 _One night, as he neared his discharge date, Oliver felt himself shake off the remnants of a dream to become more alert. He listened before he opened his eyes, wondering what had awakened him. Deciding there was no danger, he opened his eyes to see a man he had hoped never to see again standing next to his bed._

 _"_ _I wondered if you were ever going to awaken, Mr. Queen."_

 _Just as Oliver reached under his pillow to take out the gun Digg had snuck into the hospital for him, Ra's raised his hand, aiming the very same gun at Oliver's head._

"You have nothing to fear from me, Oliver."

"That's highly debatable, given our last encounter." As Oliver was about to push the call button, Ra's covered Oliver's hand with his own to stop Oliver from pushing it.

"I would highly discourage you from doing that. You don't wish any innocent bystanders to be hurt, do you?"

In a tightly controlled voice, Oliver asked, "What do you _want,_ Ra's?"

"I only wish to express my admiration of you, for having survived our battle."

"Most of the praise belongs to my team."

"Yes, my daughter not only informed me the manner in which they saved you, but also an in-depth account of each member of your team. You do have very capable individuals on your team, Oliver."

A cold shiver went down Oliver's spine. He quickly pushed away the sense of dread and fear for his teammates. Instead, he forced his voice to be unwavering, with a touch of irritation for effect, as he repeated his question. "What do you want, Ra's?"

"To inform you of the prophecy, 'He who survives Ra's' sword will become the next Ra's.'"

A part of Oliver's brain went into shock as the other side asked, "Excuse me? What the hell does that mean?" It really couldn't mean what Oliver thought it meant. Could it? Was Ra's _that_ crazy?

"Because you survived our duel, you are now my heir. My successor. To reign over my kingdom when I either die or step down."

Oliver pushed out the question through half-paralyzed lips. "I thought Nyssa was your heir?"

"I had recently begun to doubt her loyalty. Then you brought the prophecy to life, thus becoming a more qualified candidate."

A heavy sigh escaped Oliver's lips. "Who made this so-called prophecy?"

"Oh my, Oliver, recuperation certainly makes you crabby."

"I'm silly that way, finding the man irritating who tried to kill me."

"As I have told you, Oliver, there was nothing personal with this entire affair. It simply has been a matter of a very conventional society's tradition and long-held beliefs."

"Conventional, or antiquated?"

"I believe we will simply agree to disagree once again on the differences between my society and yours, Oliver. We have more important matters to discuss at this time." Pausing, he added, "You _will_ become my heir without opposition. This is why."

Ra's reached into his pocket and pulled out a manila envelope. He handed it to Oliver, who took it with great trepidation. Oliver tore open the envelope and wasn't surprised to find photographs. Of Thea leaving Verdant. Of Diggle, Lyla and Sara leaving their home. Of Felicity entering her house. He could tell the pictures were taken over the past several days, for he recognized their clothing.

Throwing them down on the bed, Oliver asked, "What? You think I will do whatever you say because you dare _threaten_ my family?"

Nodding towards the pictures, Ra's said, "Look at _all_ the pictures, Oliver, before you respond too hastily."

Oliver glared at Ra's but picked up the pile of pictures and quickly scanned through them. Indeed, the first few simply showed Team Arrow going about their day. However, the rest showed how they were being watched by men with rifles, who were hidden from view. Without any of his friends being aware of such surveillance.

Oliver only stared at the pictures until Ra's' voice broke through his thoughts. "If that does not convince you, please look at this."

A smart phone was thrust into his hands. Oliver watched in silence as he observed Diggle and Felicity entering the back alley behind Verdant. Before Oliver could react, a shower of bullets flew at his teammates. He watched in horror as Diggle threw Felicity to the ground and covered her with his body. After several moments, without any further shots being fired, Diggle rose, grabbed Felicity, and they both ran back to the back door. Not until the door shut, and his friends inside the building, did Oliver began breathing again.

After calming his wildly beating heart, the Arrow asked while staring at the frozen screen, "What is this?"

"Is that enough to persuade you, Oliver? This time, my soldiers had orders to shoot only warning shots at them. Next time, if I must, I _will_ order the shots to be fatal. Is _that_ clear enough for you?"

After placing the phone on his tray table, Oliver's hands formed fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. Forcing words out of a throat drier than toast, he said, "Why me? When I'm opposed to doing this with my entire being?"

Ra's shrugged. "Because the Prophets have decreed it so. Who am I to argue with the Prophets?"

Oliver didn't know what to say to this, to this totally insane lunatic. He watched as the lunatic walked towards the door, stop and turn back towards him.

"I will be in touch, Oliver, with further instructions when it is time for you to join me in Nanda Parbat for your training. Until then, farewell." Ra's then walked out the door.

Oliver sat up in bed staring at the open door, mouth slightly open, lost in thought. His ringing phone jarred him out of his reverie.

It was Diggle. Informing him of a sniper's surprise attack on him and Felicity outside of Verdant. He apologized for waking Oliver up, but he thought it was vitally important because it appeared someone had figured out the Arrow identity….

"John," Oliver interrupted his colleague. "It wasn't that."

"What? What was it then?"

"Are you both okay?" Oliver interrupted his friend, his teammates' safety his top priority.

"Yes, it was almost as though they were only firing warning shots at us. Like Slade did when he attacked us here."

"It's almost as bad. It's Ra's. He just left after visiting me."

After swearing for a few moments, Diggle said, "Where's the guards I hired?"

Feeling slightly guilty he hadn't thought of them, Oliver said, "I don't know. I woke up to find Ra's beside my bed, the gun you had gotten for me in my face."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, but I watched as you and Felicity were shot at from a smart phone he had kindly brought with him. I watched a live streaming of you two ducking for cover while bullets flew at you."

"Indeed, how kind of him." Oliver heard the sarcasm through the phone. "What is this all about, Oliver?"

"It seems now, since killing me didn't take, he wants me to become his heir. To someday take over the leadership of the League of Assassins."

"What?"

At a knock on his door, Oliver looked up to see a nurse entering. "Dig, can I call you back? The nurse is here."

"Let's talk in the morning. You get some sleep."

After disconnecting the call, Oliver turned to the nurse. "Is everything all right out there with my guards?"

The nurse didn't hide her surprise. "How'd you know? Someone struck them from behind. We found them stuffed in a linen closet. I ran here to make sure you were all right. You _are_ all right, aren't you?"

Oliver nodded. The nurse asked if he needed anything. Oliver glanced at the time on his phone. 2 am. "No, not right now. I suppose I should try and get some more rest though."

The nurse smiled at him as she left the room, closing the door part-way. Oliver settled against the pillows, letting out a sigh. Sleep probably wouldn't return any time soon, so he allowed his mind wander as it explored this new problem.

Before he knew it, he startled awake, only to find another unexpected guest beside his bed. Unlike her father, Nyssa didn't have a weapon pointing at him. The clock on the wall said 3 am.

"What the hell, Nyssa? Not you too?"

"I gather my father paid you a visit?"

"Who does your father think he is, Nyssa? Are you aware of his newest plan?"

"Unfortunately, I am indeed very much aware of my father's plans to remove me as his heir because you apparently did not die, bringing the Prophets' prophecy to life."

"And you're simply accepting this, Nyssa?"

Nyssa glared at him. "If you would let me finish, Mr. Queen, I would be able to tell you I have an idea on how to contain this situation."

Oliver rolled his eyes. " _Contain_? Why must you and your father talk so formal and detached?"

"Because it is also one of our traditions. Like many items upon which you and my father have argued."

"Fine. What are we to do?"

"It probably will be best to curtail this discussion until you have recovered and returned to your home. I will be in contact then."

Before Oliver could say more, Nyssa had disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Oliver was left staring at the empty space, wondering if this night could simply be one long nightmare. _If only it were that simple._

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

At a more decent hour, Oliver's physician visited him to determine how he was doing. Even though he was satisfied with Oliver's continued recovery, the physician wouldn't discharge him from the hospital until the next day, despite Oliver's insistence. Dig was able to convince Oliver of the wisdom of following the physician's orders. Oliver wasn't totally convinced until Felicity threatened digital harm to his financial records if he left against medical advice. Oliver reluctantly conceded to their wishes because of these threats to his physical and financial health.

Through mutual consensus, Team Arrow agreed to not discuss the situation until they were safely in the lair. So, upon discharge, despite his team's objections, Oliver insisted head straight to the lair to begin brainstorming. As they begun discussing the situation, Dig and Felicity both expressed their disbelief regarding Ra's new plans for Oliver. Or the fact Ra's claimed it to be some kind of pre-ordained destiny which couldn't be changed or altered.

"Oliver, this is just nuts. Crazy. Loonier than a coo-coo bird. I think this convinces me he is truly crazy. Who does he think he is, some kind of comic book villain?" Felicity said, beginning a ramble.

Oliver's lips quivered as he attempted not to smile at his girl's ramblings. "I don't know, Felicity. I really don't. He seemed very determined, as determined as when he was trying to kill me."

"Don't be fooled by Ra's' relaxed attitude regarding this. He is deadly serious about you taking your rightful place as his heir, Oliver."

All three of them turned towards the new voice, Dig aiming his gun at the newcomer. Oliver was about to aim an arrow at the stranger, but he then realized whose voice it was as he lowered his bow.

"Malcolm, you need to quit doing that. One of these times you might just get shot by mistake!" Oliver said.

"As if," Merlyn said, with a smirk.

"I keep telling you guys we need to update the security here," Felicity mumbled. "To keep out the rodents."

Merlyn shook his head as he approached the group from the back of the lair. "You know, a guy might develop a complex with such a warm welcome."

After receiving an Arrow glare from Oliver, Merlyn walked over to an empty chair at the other end of the desk and sat down. "As I was saying, Ra's is deadly serious about this, which makes him truly dangerous. Thus, whatever plan we come up with, better be good enough to do the job because we wouldn't have another chance."

Oliver began to slowly pace before the computers, a hand tugging at his chin. "Why don't we start with: what do you recommend, Malcolm?"

"You should go ahead and join the League, Oliver."

 **AN: What does Malcolm have planned? Of course, this story is only borrowing from canon, not a strict following it. Ha. Thanks for taking the time to read and review this story; always, always appreciated. And of course, please return when the next chapter is posted.**


	7. Chapter 7: High End Discussions

Disclaimer: CW/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thanks for returning to my story. Always appreciated!**

Previously:

 _Oliver began to slowly pace before the computers, a hand tugging at his chin. "Why don't we start with: what do you recommend, Malcolm?"_

 _"_ _You should go ahead and join the League, Oliver."_

"That's _it,_ " Felicity said, standing up. "Let me at him!"

As Felicity headed towards the smirking Malcolm, Diggle was able to grab her around her tiny waist and held her in place.

"Diggle, let me go!" Felicity struggled to escape the burly man's grip.

"No, Felicity. He might have a good idea yet," Diggle said, setting her into the chair next to him.

"Please, Felicity, let's hear his idea first. Then we might let you at him," Oliver said, trying not to smile at the petite blonde's antics.

Malcolm cleared his throat. "Thank you, Oliver. As I was saying, you willingly join the League, gathering info on how to disband it from the inside. In that way, we can stop whatever else Ra's has planned, and removing him from power. Thus we can all be safe."

"What if, let's just be crazy and say Oliver simply refuses Ra's grand offer?" Felicity asked.

"Hasn't he already threatened you and Mr. Diggle? Who else might he threaten, Oliver, your sister? The remaining Lance sister?"

Oliver rubbed at his chin so hard Felicity thought he was attempting to rub it off. "So you think I should just go ahead and not fight Ra's on this?"

"Oliver, the only way you could prevent this is if all of you and your loved ones go into hiding. But eventually, the League would find you anyway. This way, I can coach you and you have a chance to get out of the League alive."

Oliver asked, "You mentioned Ra's planning something. What else do you think Ra's has planned, Merlyn?"

"Every two or three years, Ra's thinks he has the best plan to resurrect the earth into a new, better planet. He has attempted this twice, basing his operations in Gotham. For whatever reason, he's decided to try it this time in Starling."

"Why?"

"Perhaps he thinks he can succeed with you. Perhaps it's because Bruce Wayne has foiled him one too many times. Who knows? All I know is he must be stopped." Malcolm looked at the other three individually. "Don't you agree?"

"Bruce Wayne? What do you mean by that?" Diggle asked.

"I'll explain it later, Dig." Oliver looked at Malcom. "Doesn't the league use brainwashing as one of their so-called initiation techniques?"

Malcolm waited a few seconds to reply. "That _might_ be one of the risks."

" _One_ of the risks? Dig, let me at him," Felicity yelled, as she almost got loose. Diggle raised his eyebrows at Oliver, who shrugged and returned his attention to Merlyn.

"So how do I prevent myself from being brainwashed?"

"Surely you've had a time or two when you had to withstand such attempts?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Probably not to the extent of the League's expertise," he said, adding a grimace.

"I was thinking, combined with your experience, my knowledge of the League would be enough for you to succeed."

Oliver turned around and walked back to the mats. He stood there for a moment, looking out at the back wall. He shook his head and walked back towards them. "I really don't see this working, Malcolm."

"In my opinion, Oliver, we really don't have a choice."

Oliver locked eyes with Dig, who shrugged. "Hey, Man, I suppose there's no way we could talk you out of it?"

Shaking his head slowly, Oliver said, "Like Malcolm said, it appears as though we have no other choice." He blew out a breath. "Ra's did threaten all of you. He doesn't seem to be able to take no for an answer. And if no one else can stop this plan of his…"

"I'd say Malcolm should go undercover into the snake's den instead and get the information we need to stop his plan. Why wouldn't it work?"

"Ms. Smoak, do I need to remind you, the man's been out to kill me."

"Sounds like the right plan to me." Felicity looked at Oliver. "Maybe we can use this scum to bargain with Ra's."

"It's too late for that. Oliver has impressed him too much. He has decided to make him part of the League. One way or another."

Oliver turned to Malcolm. "So, how do we start? What do we need to do?"

"We need to get started as soon as possible. We need to practice your swordfighting so you can beat him the next time you fight him."

"The _next_ time? Oliver almost died this time!" Felicity cried out, not bothering to hide her loud voice.

"We also will need a _quiet place_ ," Malcolm said, looking at Felicity, "to practice some techniques meant to withstand brainwashing techniques."

"You need no such thing. Merlyn is wrong to advise you to take this route."

The Team Arrow members jumped at the new voice, but Merlyn turned with a snarl on his face toward the voice. They observed Nyssa walking towards them.

"Felicity is right; we need to improve the lair's security, ASAP," Diggle muttered.

"What are you doing here?" Malcolm asked, moments before he rushed Nyssa. She instead was able to meet his approach with a karate chop across his throat, knocking him to the ground.

As Merlyn rose, Oliver said in a gruff voice, "No fighting in here please. Merlyn, I'm sure Nyssa isn't here to harm you."

"I'm not sure about that, Oliver," Merlyn said as he took pains to dramatically wipe off imaginary dust from his slacks and glare at Nyssa.

Nyssa looked at Merlyn as if he was a slimy snake. "Please. If that were my intention, I'd simply wait for you outside."

"As if you could get the drop on me."

Oliver held up his hands and raised his voice, "Quit it you two!" In a lower voice, he continued. "I've had enough of both of you. Do you think you could work together as a team to bring Ra's down?"

"How do you know it's why she's here, Oliver?" Malcolm asked, not bothering to hide his distrust.

"Because she told me in the hospital she'd help us take her father down."

"And why would she do this?"

Nyssa gave him another withering look. "Because, Magician, my father is not in his right mind. He says he wants to bestow my heirship onto Mr. Queen. He would not ordinarily consider doing such."

"Why not? You're not exactly fit to be Heir."

Nyssa moved her gaze from Merlyn, ignoring his comment, to Oliver. "Do you think we need him, Mr. Queen?"

"What do you think, Nyssa? You haven't told us your plan yet."

Nyssa shrugged her shoulders. "If we could only know whether to trust him." Malcolm sniffed in disgust. "I'm the only one able to get close enough with his guard down to do it."

"Do what?" Diggle asked.

"Kill him," Nyssa said like she was suggesting they order pizza.

"You'd kill your own father? Not even you would consider that, would you?" Malcolm asked with a smirk.

Shaking her head as if considering Merlyn a child, Nyssa said, "This is what we do when my father is no longer thinking sensibly. We kill him, immerse him in the Lazarus Pit, and he is revived once again. Each time takes a little longer for him to recover, but eventually he is restored to sanity. More or less."

"The Lazarus Pit? Like Lazarus in the Bible?" Diggle asked.

"Yes. It is how my father has survived many centuries. When the stress of continually living takes its toll on him, he then has to be rejuvenated by dying and rising once again."

Felicity lowered her head as she rolled her eyes.

"Would you actually need our assistance with this, Nyssa?" Oliver asked. "I would think you could do this on your own."

"I haven't developed the actual details as yet. It depends upon when my father wishes to take you back to Nanda Parbat."

"When do you think we'll know this?"

"Soon, I imagine. My father would not wish to allow you time to think of a way of getting out of this."

Malcolm, who had remained silent and almost forgotten by the others, spoke up. "If the two of you are finished flirting, I suppose your plan doesn't include me, Nyssa?"

Nyssa's eyes roamed up and down Malcolm's body. She arched an eyebrow. "It is not ideal, but depending upon the circumstance, we could use you as a distraction for my father."

"And here I thought that was Oliver's role."

"If all of you are done with trying to come up with alternative useless plans, why not sit down and come up with a viable plan instead?" Felicity asked. "If we are actually going to go through with this crazy idea."

 **AN: I'm very sorry this took so long. The Muse got frustrated with the audacity of the Arrow writers to end the season the way they did. How they think Oliver could realistically live a life with what had happened, I don't know. (I'm trying not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet). So she's dealing with that by writing a Season 7 spec fic. So far, so good, but we have too many unfinished stories out there as it is. Oh well, what can one do?**

 **I'd appreciate it if you would leave a comment as to what you thought of this chapter, or the story so far. What you like or what you thought should be better. That type of thing.**

 **Keep smiling and see you next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: New developments

Disclaimer: CW/DC own these characters. I'm only borrowing them for a while. I own the original ideas found in this.

 **AN: Thank you for returning to my story. Without further ado, let's see if this rambunctious and contentious bunch can agree on a plan to vanquish Ra's.**

Previously:

 _Malcolm, who had remained silent and almost forgotten by the others, spoke up. "If the two of you are finished flirting, I suppose your plan doesn't include me, Nyssa?"_

 _Nyssa's eyes roamed up and down Malcolm's body. She arched an eyebrow. "It is not ideal, but depending upon the circumstance, we could use you as a distraction for my father."_

 _"_ _And here I thought that was Oliver's role."_

 _"_ _If all of you are done with trying to come up with alternative useless plans, why not sit down and come up with a viable plan instead?" Felicity asked. "If we are actually going to go through with this crazy idea."_

"You misunderstood me, Ms. Smoak. I was serious when I said Oliver would be a distraction for Ra's. More than I could be," Malcolm said.

"Why don't we sit down at our conference table and discuss this more rationally," Oliver suggested. "Felicity, why don't you lead the way?"

Felicity began to mumble to herself but she took the lead, with Malcolm and Diggle following. Before Nyssa could follow, Oliver grabbed her arm to have her fall back.

"Do you think we really need Malcolm? Do you have only one idea, or several? What have you done in the past?"

"Oliver, it is not possible to answer all those questions before we join the others. Do not worry. I will not steer you wrong."

As soon as everyone was settled, Malcolm said, "Oliver, whatever else we do, I should teach you swordplay, strategies, secrets to defeat Ra's, in case you have to fight him again." Holding out his hand to quiet the uproar which began to occur, Malcolm said, " _Only_ as a last resort. No matter how much we plan, we need to have at least three feasible plans in order to handle this." Looking solemnly at Nyssa, without any humor or sarcasm, he asked her, "Don't you agree, Ms. Raatko?"

Thinking it over, Nyssa nodded solemnly. "It would be the most feasible plan, I agree. Every time we are required to do this, my father has gotten smarter and smarter in realizing what we are trying to do. Thus, it is more difficult to catch him unawares. I do not fully understand how this is possible, because supposedly the insanity which occurs would prevent him from remembering the time period shortly before and after his immersion. Much less the immersion into the Pit itself."

Suddenly an alarm was heard. Felicity looked at Oliver, who nodded, and she ran off to look. She called everyone to come look as she brought up on the larger screen what had alarmed her. There was complete silence in the room as everyone contemplated the sight in front of them. Green smoke was rising from the northern edge of the city. Felicity had never seen anything like that.

"What's that? What does it mean?" Diggle asked.

"It means my father wants an answer immediately." She turned and looked at Oliver. "He did give you more than twenty-four hours to think it over. That is one more day than he usually gives his subjects."

"Why now? Why not wait until morning, a more decent hour?" Felicity asked, her testiness apparent in her tone.

Nyssa shrugged. "A way to keep his underlings off-guard, I suppose. Or it could be another indication of his losing touch with reality. But whichever it is," she paused looking at first Malcolm, then Oliver, "we have to hurry in our planning."

They returned to the conference room. Nyssa said that the meeting place was where the signal fire was originating from.

"How would I know this if you hadn't been here to tell me?" Oliver asked.

Nyssa looked at him, her lips pressed into a long, thin line. "This indicates Father knows I am in town and in contact with you. It doesn't bode well with what we might plan."

"I'm not liking this," Felicity said before Dig could stop her. Nyssa bestowed an angry look upon her before she could control it. Malcolm allowed a small smile on his face as he looked at the two women exchanging angry looks but wisely stayed silent.

"Ms. Smoak, we need to deal with this issue. We have no other option. Mr. Queen must do this, or your life and that of Mr. Diggle's will be forfeited. I know Mr. Merlyn explained this to you, so would you please do Mr. Queen the favor of not making this more difficult for him?"

Oliver took Felicity's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Would you rather go into the other room while we plan this?"

A look of sorrow passed quickly over Felicity's face but she quickly cleared it. "No, I'll stay quiet unless I have something worthwhile to share."

After Oliver dropped her hand and turned his attention back to their guests, Diggle took her other hand under the table and gave it a small squeeze. She swallowed before she looked at him and gave a small smile.

An hour later, they had developed a plan. Oliver would leave alone to go to the meeting. They couldn't allow anyone to accompany or follow him, for Nyssa warned that her father would be planning for that contingency. She also suggested Oliver pack what he wanted to bring along, for she was certain her father would want to leave as soon as he'd gotten the answer he wanted.

At this point another alarm rang out from Felicity's computers. The group rushed to look once again at the computer screen.

Now, instead of one column of smoke, there was a second column, the prettiest lavender Felicity had ever seen. She turned when she heard an "Oh no!" from behind her.

Felicity was surprised to see Nyssa's face had gone pale.

"Nyssa, what does that second smoke column mean?" Oliver asked.

Nyssa pursed her lips together. "My father demands I accompany you to the meeting, Oliver."

Felicity wasn't sure if everyone was shocked into silence by the destruction of their plans or Nyssa's reaction to it.

Oliver broke the silence. "What is your father planning now?"

"He must have changed his mind." The slight pursing of her lips was the only sign of her increased emotion. "Instead of allowing me to be free to interfere, he wants me at the meeting. He will probably take me home in chains."

"But what are we going to do now? All our plans are useless." Felicity asked.

"Honey, you still got me," Malcolm said in his most lascivious tone, holding out his arms towards Felicity.

Felicity's lip curled as she gave him an angry look. "Not helping."

Oliver looked at the group with his characteristic stoic look before a mission. "Dig, since now our plans need to change, why don't you call Roy. He needs to help us. You two plan with Malcolm on what to do in Nanda Parbat. Nyssa and I will try to escape on our own, but that may not be possible."

After collecting his duffel bag Oliver returned to the group. He shook Dig's hand but allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. Looking at Malcolm, he held out his hand.

"Try not to worry. I'll cooperate with your friends to come up with reasonable plans to extricate you both out of Ra's' hands," Malcolm said.

Taking a step back, Oliver turned last to Felicity, who was trying to keep her feelings from exploding. "Don't worry, Felicity. We'll get out of this."

She rushed to him, her arms going around his neck. He tentatively wrapped his arms around her and returned her hug. After a moment he pulled out of her arms, placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned in to kiss the top of her head.

"I have every intention to return, Felicity, and take you on that second date I should never have cancelled."

Turning towards Nyssa, he told her, "We should hurry, like you said."

Nyssa turned towards the group, gave them all a brusque nod, and joined Oliver at the stairs.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Both were silent as they made their way to the meeting place. Felicity had given Oliver the address, but Nyssa was confident in leading them to the place without his input. Once they've arrived, Oliver wasn't surprised regarding the choice of location. They found themselves in an open field, with twenty soldiers again forming a semi-circle facing them, with Ra's at its center. The question crossed Oliver's mind whether it were the same men who had accompanied Ra's the last time. Nyssa walked directly towards her father, with Oliver at her side. The soldiers parted to make way for them.

Ra's didn't speak until they were directly in front of him. Ubu was there to his right, with his giant sword, and exchanged looks with Nyssa. A look of defiance appeared on her face but disappeared just as quickly. He nodded towards the ground and Nyssa knelt. Oliver followed suit when both Abu and Nyssa glared at him.

"Mr. Queen, I trust your presence here now means you have agreed to become my heir and return with me to my home in Nanda Parbat."

"As if you gave me any other choice," Oliver said. Nyssa quickly elbowed him in the ribs and Oliver cleared his throat. "I apologize. Yes…" he swallowed, for his mouth was suddenly dry. He forced the words out of his uncooperative mouth. "Yes, I agree to become your heir."

Ra's turned his attention to his daughter. "You, Daughter, I didn't expect to see you here. I expected you to be uncooperative to the last."

Nyssa held her father's gaze for a moment. "No, Father, I am here as you directed. I agree to also return with you to Nanda Parbat." A slight pause, then she said, "I apologize for my disobedience."

"No doubt you are sorry for disobeying me, only because you wish to avoid the punishment due."

"No, Father, I am sorry I disappointed you. Of course I do not look forward to any punishment, but I will accept it if you wish."

Oliver was so involved with the drama in front of him he wasn't aware of any danger. Suddenly he felt a pin prick in his upper arm. Nyssa as well jumped and Oliver saw she too had a dart in her left upper arm. However, that was all he could observe, for unconsciousness quickly descended upon him.

As consciousness returned, Oliver became aware of a rumbling under his feet and being restrained in his seat. Because of his training, he kept his eyes closed until he gathered his thoughts. He quickly remembered their situation without reacting. However, Ra's must have an inner instinct, for he said, "Open your eyes, Mr. Queen, I can tell you are awake. My daughter has been awake for thirty minutes already. I thought you were in shape."

Resigned, Oliver opened his eyes and fixed upon Ra's a stare not betraying any feelings. "Maybe you overestimated the correct dose."

"Abu, no. That is all right. I am certain Mr. Queen is understandably boorish due to the drug." Oliver looked to his left and observed the large man standing over him, his sword aimed at Oliver's neck. Abu lowered the sword with his employer's words, a snarl directed at Oliver on his face. A small smile tugged at Ra's' lips. "Correct, Mr. Queen? You did not mean any disrespect?"

Preventing the eye roll that almost slipped out, Oliver reluctantly agreed. "You are correct, sir. I…my mind is scrambled because of the unexpected drugging."

"You must understand my caution, Mr. Queen. I would rather not use such crude methods such as blackmail to help you see reason, but you gave me every indication of not accepting my offer without duress."

Oliver didn't say anything but quietly watched the man without expression. He wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't provoke an undesired reaction from either him or Abu. Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver spared a glance at Nyssa, sitting next to him. She was also restrained to her seat. It didn't bode well for him looking for her help in an escape, not to mention assassinating Ra's. Hopefully his team will be able to develop a plan to do both.

 **AN: Thank you as always for reading this chapter. I hope you'll let me know what you thought of it in way of a review. It always encourages the Muse.**

 **Hopefully I'll return soon with another update. Thank you again.**


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